Thoughts on Roy Jones Jr. Legacy

[OctoberRed]

Now that Roy Jones is retiring on Thursday (or so we think), where does his legacy stand.

He fought on for way too long.

If he would have retired after the Ruiz win, he would have been highly rated in overall history.

But now most of the younger fans remember him as some old guy who became a Russian citizen, a guy who keeps getting knocked out cold, etc.

[N!Ck F.]

Now that Roy Jones is retiring on Thursday (or so we think), where does his legacy stand.

He fought on for way too long.

If he would have retired after the Ruiz win, he would have been highly rated in overall history.

But now most of the younger fans remember him as some old guy who became a Russian citizen, a guy who keeps getting knocked out cold, etc.

Records don’t always tell the whole story. Prime for prime, inch for inch, pound for pound Roy Jones is Top 10 all time great.

[NChristo]

He'll be remembered as a surreal boxer who's skill was out of this world, what happened to him as he got older is irrelevant, people don't remember Ali for the Holmes and Berbick fights the first thing people think of are what he achieved in his prime and likewise with Jones.

[IronDanHamza]

One of the best fighters I've ever seen.

If not the best.

[mickey malone]

He'll be remembered as a surreal boxer who's skill was out of this world, what happened to him as he got older is irrelevant, people don't remember Ali for the Holmes and Berbick fights the first thing people think of are what he achieved in his prime and likewise with Jones.

My thoughts too.. Not quite entirely though as they're a million miles apart when it comes to charisma. However, on a level of skill you couldn't fit a *** paper between them.
Both also competed for longer than their bodies would safely permit, which is yet to be decided in Jones's case., But the slurred speech signs are already beginning to show. And knowing him he'll probably take another fight.
Shame really.

[chrisJS]

It's a shame he was cannon fodder for almost as long as he was an elite level fighter and that clouds the mind of a lot of fans that are a bit newer and read too much into what a record says on paper.

I think had he retired in 2003 even after Tarver I he'd have been in the top 20 of all-time in most lists but he probably falls short of that.

IMO he's one of the 10 best of the last 50 years.

[Eff Pandas]

Best fighter I ever saw live. It'll be interesting to see how that transfers over to reality in 30+ years as he starts to become history. Does he become seen as some modern era SRR who was the most unbeatable guy of his era at his best or do people focus more on him staying around to long & doing the things that hurt his overall rep? Idk thats for the next generation of boxing fans to decide more than I, but he's the best guy I've seen & I see him as a modern era SRR type cat.

[The Old LefHook]

He makes the top 100 of the last 25 years!

[OctoberRed]

He'll be remembered as a surreal boxer who's skill was out of this world, what happened to him as he got older is irrelevant, people don't remember Ali for the Holmes and Berbick fights the first thing people think of are what he achieved in his prime and likewise with Jones.

Jones hung around wayyyyyy longer than Ali or other past greats.

The guy is coming up on 50. If Holyfield, Hopkins or Ali would have been knocked dead like Jones was by Johnson, Lebedev, Enzo - they would have retired a decade ago.

[The Old LefHook]

Legacy is what he is shy of when you start stitching the pieces together. He is not short of legacy for a normal fighter or even a normal ATG. Most ATGs would love to have a legacy as great as his. It is short for him, however. He should have had the greatest legacy ever, untouchable, but instead he only makes roughly the top 100 for the last quarter century. He was better than that, er, rather, he was supposed to be, er, we thought he was going to be, or should have been, or something like that.

In the end you can only have credit for what you went ahead and did. In retrospect, for Jones to dispatch of those remaining obstacles to his complete and clear invincibility, should have been routine, except for the hair on his chinny-chin-chin, that is. Yet, a raw novice, he would probably have taken care of most middleweights I have seen. But again, probably doesn't count. What actually was done counts. Jones beat too many B-leaguers and skipped too many challenges for my tastes. Pazienza was worth zero legacy points, or even negative points. Other throw away matches could be named right during the peak of his powers. McCallum was not worth any legacy points during that period either.